Not too much is happening here in UK at the present time it is mid winter and the only activity is in the show pens. Unfortunately I have missed two of our local shows due to other commitments but will be showing this weekend January the 8th. Editors note a few days later, Brian entered 2 hens and 4 cocks and was pleased to pick up 4th prize in the Young cocks from a class of 81 with one of his young Supercracks.

4th YBC show, 2012, not bad for a shot from Brian's mobile phone.

I will be making the annual pilgrimage to the Mecca of pigeondom in UK the BHW Show of the Year at Blackpool on January the 21st & 22nd. A few of the early breeders will have squeakers in the nest as the 2012 rings are available from the first week of January, however I like the majority of fanciers will not be pairing up until February, some even wait until March to pair their race team so that the birds moult is delayed and they are carrying a near full wing for the long distance Nationals and Classics in June and July. The general consensus is that you do not want your race birds to have dropped more than their 4th flight for these events.

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In my own loft after things not going according to plan in 2011, I have made a few changes, firstly I have improved the ventilation system and I must say I am pleased with the results so far the pigeons look a picture,tight feathered, buoyant and they are flying about the loft with some vigour. As the saying goes the ‘best pigeons and fanciers are only as good as the loft environment in which the pigeons live’. If the fresh air exchange is not right the pigeons will never be right and it has been a difficult problem to get right in my own loft. Secondly I have reduced the numbers a bit and will only breed a small young bird team this year to avoid over crowding.

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I have entered a team into The Somerset One Loft Race which will absorb some youngsters and will pit them against the best in what is one of the toughest Young Bird One loft races in Europe. Along with this I realized my team was spread too thin to race in all the clubs I belonged to so I have resigned from two of the four clubs, one is the mid week club that I only sent to once last year and the other being the BICC. I originally joined the BICC to race in the Internationals but having only a small loft and team I only managed to enter three races in four years.

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I sent one pigeon to the PAU International and finished 9th Open British section, one pigeon to Perpignan and finished 33rd Open and two pigeons to Barcelona and had one return just out of race time. However last year I never managed to send to any BICC races and I missed nearly half my local club races so I will now concentrate on my local Club racing the Godalming & Distrcts Flying Club which is one of nine clubs in the Surrey FED which itself flies in a Combine programme with the Three Borders FED. I will also remain in the National Flying Club,the premier club for National racing. So I have more than enough racing to keep me and my pigeons busy during the coming season. Here in the south of England we have had a very mild winter so far mainly wet and windy but not cold and no sign of any snow but our electric power has been knocked out a couple of times.

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This time I am also attaching an article written by Terry Peart on the remarkable performance of D Bullen and sons pigeon named “Ilsas Rainy Day Boy” in the PAU International. I would add to Terry’s report that this PAU International is competed for by the elite of Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. Aside from the Barcelona International it is the most prestigious to win and as the entry fee is the highest only the best pigeons are sent. So for a modest back yard loft in England to win it and by such a margin considering the bad weather at the home end really something else against such illustrious competition. Yet in spite of this plus the other two International wins by British pigeons in 2011 the world still beats a path to Belgium and Holland to buy pigeons, I know where I would rather buy pigeons from and at more modest prices.

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Dave (Wicky) and Kirk Bullen 1st International Pau 2011 article and photos kindly used with permission from the author Terry Peart, thanks on behalf of all readers Terry.

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Dave (Wicky) Bullen and son Kirk

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Dave (Wicky) Bullen and son Kirk produced what is so far probably the best International win so far in the U.K. 1st Open International Pau. A great big performance from a small loft of 14 racing widowhood cocks plus a few racing hens. This truly remarkable performance from this small back garden loft must surely be the most outstanding International win by a British pigeon so far. We must take nothing away from the other U.K. International winners but this was more of an individual performance as this winner “Isla’s Rainy Day Boy” completed the race as an individual pigeon having no help from any other British pigeons on his return to the British coastline. With a velocity of 1431 m.p.m. he was not only 31 metres per minute in front of the next International pigeon he was also an incredible 213 m.p.m. in front of the next British arrival with over 8,600 birds competing in the race. Flying a distance of 556 miles to his home loft in New Addington I.R.D.B. was clocked at 16-23 i.e. 4.23pm having homed to the loft in a storm with torrential rain that had persisted for most of the day. This was not the first top performance by this wonderful 3 year old athlete of the sky having previously scored 1st section 3rd Open B.I.C.C. Narbonne 582 Miles in 2010 as a 2 year old plus he was also 27th Open B.I.C.C. Tarbes. The main blood lines of this champion pigeon are Van Wan Roy with a little Stoffel and Janssen.

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Wicky has been racing pigeons virtually all his life starting off as most fanciers helping his father who was also a top fancier. Kirk has followed in his fathers footsteps, also starting at a very early age and was in the loft as soon as he was able to walk. Having known Wicky for over 40 years most of which have been very successful for him, it has enabled me to collate a rather nice collection of photographs not only of Wicky as a young man but also many of Kirk as he has grown up with the pigeons. When I write the full loft report on this partnership I will undoubtedly be embarrassing them by publishing a few that go back several years. The Bullen name over three generations has been associated with all the top pigeon Nationals, Classics, Combines and Federations. Since I have known Wicky he has flown his pigeons from four different loft locations and has never failed to score top positions from either of them even with pigeons that had been broken to a different loft. One of these that come to mind is when the loft won 1st Section Perth in the mighty N.R.C.C.when flying to a loft in his mothers garden many years ago. The result list of this partnership is unbelievable for such a small team of pigeons racing both North and South road winning many major honours, all of which will be highlighted in the full loft report. Although the loft houses just 14 cocks, a dozen hens and 4 pairs of stock birds, every single pigeon in the loft is related in one way or another, so that the winning genes are prominent in every pigeon, winners breeding winners and breeders to breed winners.

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“Isla’s Rainy Day Boy”is a superbly bred pigeon, bred to win this type of race. His sire, bred in 2004, won 2nd open B.I.C.C. Alencon from 2,532 birds, 3rd club Messac, he also flew Barcelona plus 2 x Perpignan and Pau. The sire of this cock being the grandsire of I.R.D.B. is another of the lofts stars “Reggie’s Boy” a fantastic pigeon, a top racer and breeder. “Reggie’s Boy’s” racing record is second to none which included, 1st Sect. E. 1st Open National Flying Club Dax, 5th Open International, 3 hours in front of the N.F.C. second arrival. 1st club, 5th Amalgamation Bergerac, 1st club Tours, 1st club, 2nd Federation, 65th S.M.T. Combine Bergerac. 27th Open South East England Combine Tours, 38th Open L.S.E.C.C. Tours, 65th Open L.S.E.C.C. Guernsey, 1st club Tours, plus several other positions. This wonderful cock bred down from Ponderosa “Black Giant” lines is also a remarkable breeder being sire and grandsire of several top performance pigeons.

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The dam of I.R.D.B.was also bred in 2004 lightly raced but still managed a few good positions that included 58th Open B.I.C.C.Pau, her dam was also a good race bird winning 3rd Open L.S.E.C.C. Pau when only 6 were recorded on the day. Six weeks later this great hen went on to win 50th Open N.F.C. Pau. A daughter of “Reggie” 1st. sect. B.I.C.C.Alencon when the loft was 1st, 2nd & 3rd section. A grand son 7th Open B.I.C.C.Falaise, as was another grandson 1st Sect, 5th Open B.I.C.C. Falaise, the list is endless but all will be revealed in the full loft report, this will be an in-depth article that will cover the past 30 + years of all the winning pigeons, the racing and feeding systems plus much more, should be very interesting!